


Not Less Perfect

by strangeworks



Category: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genre: Androids, Belligerent Sexual Tension, Blood and Violence, Creepy Fluff, Dark, Dark Comedy, Denial of Feelings, Depression, Disobeying Orders, Emotional Manipulation, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, God Complex, Good and Evil, Graphic Description, Heavy Themes, Insomnia, Isolation, Loneliness, Love/Hate, Mania, Misunderstandings, Mutually Unrequited, Not Canon Compliant, Obsession, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Perceived Betrayal, Physical Abuse, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Psychological Horror, Rape/Non-con Elements, Sadism, Seduction to the Dark Side, Stockholm Syndrome, Substance Abuse, Tension, in terms of plot deviation, more than meets the eye
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-09
Updated: 2020-11-10
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:15:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26379442
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/strangeworks/pseuds/strangeworks
Summary: Instead of aligning with the Crystalline Entity, Lore decides to remain on board the Enterprise to fulfill a single, hidden agenda: locate and execute Doctor Noonian Soong. Unfortunately, his 'mission' risks potential compromise once the starship begins to inexplicably malfunction.As an Engineering specialist, the reticent LCDR Veronica McCoy quickly becomes the scapegoat of Lore's unfair frustrations. Over time, only when his harassment fails to incite new advancement, does he learn that her cruel demeanour remains a guise for acute vulnerability. Through grandiose manipulation, he exploits this newfound information by melodramatically amending his behaviour to appear solicitous and sympathetic.However, in a bizarre paradox, this interactional shift instead further complicates whether Veronica and Lore are as dissimilar as they both so vehemently maintain.!Read at your own risk!: not trying to sound edgy, but this is a pretty dark story that delves into heavy themes. Chapters 1-4 will be introductory and relatively tame, but ALL tags will be fully applicable from Chapter 5 onwards.
Relationships: Lore (Star Trek)/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 25
Kudos: 17





	1. I Ask Hospitality

Lieutenant Commander Veronica McCoy was not well liked by the crew of the Enterprise, despite being the daughter of the renowned Leonard McCoy. Her character presentation was a combination of Spock’s controlled and logical demeanour along with McCoy’s grave delivery; and if this wasn’t enough cause to be weary of her, she also had an unmistakable mean streak. The only person on board that did not resent her was Geordi La Forge, her superior in Engineering and where she specialized.

“The crew reassembled that android the away team found on Omicron Theta.” None other than Geordi stepped in beside her as she reconfigured an erring warp coil. “He’s going to be paying us a visit later.”

“Oh.” Veronica hummed, her focus entirely fixated on the ‘error’ message that kept on cropping up in front of her on the console. She clicked her tongue and crouched down to unhinge the composite protective sheet to get at the circuitry.

“You’re… not excited?” Geordi rested his hand against the terminal hesitantly.

“No, I am. I’m just a little busy right now.” She turned her head apologetically before resuming her analysis.

“I thought we were designing new blueprints for the reconstruction of that system.” Geordi leaned down to see exactly what she was doing.

“I think I have an idea.” 

“You should take a break,” Geordi sighed. “I’ve watched you run around the room all day trying to repair stuff that... can’t even be repaired.”

“I don’t understand how the Enterprise is running into all these problems all of a sudden.” Veronica sighed, replacing the sheet of the panel, pressing hard against it to ensure its stability. “I can’t keep up.”

“You’re not alone, Nica. Just take it easy for me, will ya?” Geordi stepped backwards so as to allow Veronica enough room to rise to her feet.

“I hate it when you call me that.” She returned her gaze to the panel, avoiding eye contact upon the rather rude remark.

“Hey, it’s just a nickname.” Geordi spread his hands in a request for understanding. “If I didn’t know you any better, I’d order you to take a break.”

“You can’t order me to do anything, Geordi. We’re the same rank.” Veronica muttered, somewhat flippantly, but not in the mood for his playfulness.

“God, you _are_ impossible.” Geordi cracked a smile, patting her shoulder as he walked past. “Here, I want to show you something.”

Veronica tore herself away from the console and followed the Chief of Engineering to the warp engine backroom, albeit reluctantly.

“Maybe this’ll cheer you up.” Geordi’s voice was soft.

It was a derivation of a new program that would insulate the warp coils with a certain nanotechnology to prevent overheating, as well as repair failure at the site.

“I thought nanotechnology was banned.” She ran her finger down the screen to count the chain-links of the theoretical framework.

“Not in the case of pure technology.” Geordi answered jovially. “I think we’re getting one step closer to solving this. I whipped that program up this morning, after the initial malfunction alert.”

“Damn, you’re smart.” Veronica murmured, stepping backwards. “Care to teach me sometime?”

“Already am.” Geordi grinned.

The front doors swooshed open, and a multitude of footsteps sounded against the laminated composite flooring.

“Here’s our guest.” Geordi clasped his hands over her shoulders, a stupid grin plastered on his face. “Let’s go meet him.”

“Is Commander La Forge here?” Captain Picard’s voice rang out; answered by a couple of Ensigns by the main console.

“I’m here with Commander McCoy, Captain.” Geordi called as the two approached the new group.

Veronica stepped out from behind Geordi as they cleared the narrow backroom wall, and as she did, she locked eyes with… was that Data?

“This is Lore.” Picard motioned to the android Veronica had just mistaken as Data. She averted her eyes quickly from the uncomfortable eye contact, turning her head to act as if a distant panel had caught her attention.

“The similarities are almost indiscernible!” Geordi stepped forward in awe.

“I'm not sure if that’s a compliment, or an insult.” Lore responded, his tone pleasant.

Veronica snapped her head back in his direction.

“You can use contractions?”

“I can.” Lore smiled at her rather mischievously.

“Is that…” Veronica walked around the large central console to get closer, Lore’s gaze following her figure. “A display of emotion?”

“I indeed have the capacity for emotion.” Lore’s grin widened upon her interest in him. “Unlike Data, whom I’m sure you’re more used to.”

“Why doesn’t Data have that capacity?” The Commander pondered, but was interrupted by Lore’s wagging finger.

“You ask too many questions.” He balked, turning to the Captain: “I'd like to see more of the ship, and perhaps later I could return to Engineering if that’s all right with…”

He stopped as he waited for someone to introduce the two engineers.

“Veronica.” Geordi interjected. “And me, Geordi.”

Lore ignored him, despite his previous pause. Picard readjusted his uniform top before speaking.

“The Commanders’ will be busy after eighteen-hundred hours.” Picard spoke particularly tersely, as if he was irritated by the new android’s dominance. “La Forge, McCoy, show him the very basics of the Enterprise’s operation.”

“Yes, Captain.” The two said in unison, before turning to each other and smiling at the joint utterance. Picard walked out with his small entourage, leaving Lore standing alone.

“Come over here,” Geordi called as he walked to the end of the same central console.

Lore brushed past Veronica so as to step in front of her. As he did so, his arm grazed so lingeringly against her shoulder; the height difference stark and almost… intimidating. Which was strange, as she was rarely intimidated by such nuances like height. Unable to shake an eerie vibe from the android, Veronica instead walked over to another panel and away from the central console.

“What is she doing?” Lore’s voice sounded behind her, a mix of curiosity and accusation in his intonation.

“Doing whatever she’s doing.” Geordi resigned. “Now if you look here, this aspect of the ship is really what makes it run-“

Lore's attention drifted away as he walked over to where Veronica was standing. He watched her fingers dance across the console as she reconfigured a minor engine flutter.

“What are you doing?” He asked, this time with a tone of pure accusation.

“Um, the engine experienced a… glitch.” Veronica searched for a layman term that he would hopefully understand. She had no idea how far his knowledge extended and if he was the same as Data in terms of positronic capacity. “But this isn’t part of your tour, so you don’t need to concern yourself with it.”

“So the Captain hasn’t spoken to you?” Lore leaned on the console beside her, watching her with an almost... flirtatious expression. Geordi was secretly observing the exchange from the distance.

“About what? I doubt you’d be privy to anything before I was.” Veronica scoffed, moving to lock the interface into an automatic operation. Her indifference and nonchalance to the android’s presence frankly surprised her, as she had been excited for his reactivation the whole day.

“The Enterprise is partaking in a little side mission for me.” Lore turned his attention to the console, grazing his fingertips across the edge of the screen panel. “You’re supposed to be upgrading the engine, didn't you know?”

“Right.” Veronica laughed out loud mockingly. “We’d never do anything like that.”

“You’re a testy one.” Lore snapped his head up, his face contorting into a devious smirk. “You’re not going to cause me any problems, are you?”

“I don’t take orders from a nascent android, if that’s what you mean.” Veronica kept her gaze fixed on the screen, ignoring him as he edged closer.

“Those orders aren’t mine.” He said softly.

“Well, I haven’t heard them from the Captain, so I have to assume that they _are_ yours.”

“You seem a little too young to be so decorated in Starfleet.” Lore pushed himself off of the console to stand straight and tower over the Commander. "How old are you, _three_?"

“If you’re trying to intimidate me, it’s not working.” Veronica initiated a system scan before stepping away from the console to look up at him. "And I'm twenty, but thanks."

“You’re blunt too.” Lore’s sneer returned. “I like it.”

Veronica furrowed her brow, but attempted to ignore him as she walked over to where Geordi was straining his ears to listen.

“Did you receive orders from the Captain to upgrade the warp drive?” She muttered, glancing over at Lore who had now turned his body towards them.

“No, why?” Geordi asked as if he hadn’t just been eavesdropping.

“I’ll explain it later.” Veronica quieted her voice as she noticed Lore beginning to stride over to join them once again. "He's acting really weird."

“It’s not very polite to speak about guests in their presence.” Lore chastised, falling in beside Veronica.

“We weren’t talking about you.” Geordi reassured, turning to the android. However, just as he finished speaking, his Commbadge sounded Picard’s voice to alert him that his presence was wanted in his ready room.

“Commander, you better come with me.” Geordi said after acknowledging the request. “Lore, we can’t leave you alone here.”

“I didn’t get to see much.” Lore’s words dripped off his tongue with mock melancholy.

“You weren’t very interested,” Geordi shrugged as he turned his back to the two. “But we can come back later, if you’d like.”

Just as the three were about to walk out the door, Lore grabbed Veronica’s wrist.

“Wait.” His tone was authoritative.

“What?” Veronica snapped.

“Easy, easy.” Lore grinned. “Your name’s Veronica?”

“You already know that.” She attempted to pull away so she could continue walking, but Lore held her tight.

“I'm just trying to develop a long lasting relationship." Lore was facetious; Veronica was too irritated to figure out what he wanted.

“Can you let go of me?” 

“You better be successful with that warp drive.” He pulled her in closer despite her contrary request, his voice lowering to enunciate the gravity of the situation. “I need to get where I need to be.”

“It wouldn’t just be me working on this ‘project’ of yours.” Veronica matched his glare.

“I’ll take that as a ‘yes’.” Lore let go of her, letting his hand drop to his side. “I’d also appreciate if you had less of an attitude.”

“Guys, what’s going on? Let’s go.” Geordi called from the doors, confused at the two’s close proximity.

“You’re not going to be well-liked on the ship if you act like this with everyone.” Veronica turned her cheek to address the android that was now behind her.

“I have a feeling _you’re_ not very well-liked around here.” Lore sneered. "Maybe we'll get along."

Veronica let out an incredulous huff, joining Geordi at the doors to continue to the Turbolift.

“What an asshole,” She muttered to Geordi.

“I can hear you.” Lore laughed roguishly, his superior hearing allowing for him to pick up every small sound. “Does she talk like this to everyone?”

“Pretty well.” Geordi admitted, but cowered when Veronica shot him a dirty look. “Hey, I meant when it’s warranted.”

"Thank you for _your_ hospitality, Geordi. I hope the rest of the Enterprise is as kind as you." Lore's voice was gentle.

Geordi put up his hands in his own defence as Veronica raised her hand in mock threat to hit him. The two laughed at the dumb, playful exchange much to Lore's surprise. He had enjoyed, almost revelled, in the idea that she could be so violent.

Lore watched the two walk further ahead of him, his processors trying to establish if this Commander would be a hinderance to his plans. She looked relatively competent, but her ornery demeanour would almost certainly create obstacles to his complete control. Not only would he have to work to manipulate Data, but he would also have to reign this ‘Veronica’ in and have her completely submissive to him. He had to find Doctor Soong. His sheer anger and resentment was too much to handle knowing that the doctor was still alive and trying to contact him.


	2. Cause for Resent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A mission on the planet Omega ends prematurely.

“Energize.”

Will Riker’s voice rang strongly throughout the transporter room, the last sound Veronica heard before watching O’Brien slide his fingers up the console’s screen in a slow yet deliberate motion. She hated the idea that every single atom in her body was being torn apart and redirected to another in-range location; although she’d studied it extensively in the Academy to quell her fears, it was an undeniably disturbing experience.

What was weirder, was the fact that she remained conscious throughout the entire process, a blinding flash of light replaced by a slow materialization of the planetary environment was enough to momentarily disorient anyone. Her entire musculature seized upon the atomic reconfiguration, only to relax after a few seconds of solid ground beneath her feet. She glanced around at the lush foliage and impossibly tall forestry before her mental focus returned to replace the mild disorientation.

“Anything?” Riker called to Troi, his eyes darting suspiciously amidst the overpowering plant life. Anyone could be hiding.

“There’s a sharp sense of fear and retaliation.” Troi held her arms together as if the air were chilly. “I can’t tell where it’s coming from directly… it’s everywhere.”

“We should head to where the Captain said the generator was.” Veronica glanced at her tricorder, “I don’t think we’d want to stay here very long.”

“Commander, with all due respect, this isn’t just your mission.” Riker squared his shoulders to her, an obvious air of dislike. Not like Veronica cared, she found the feeling to be quite mutual.

“The point of the mission is to reactivate the generator and evacuate any prisoners of war.” Veronica pushed past a vast leaf to see if there was any sign of an infrastructure that could house such a large generator.

“If only we had La Forge.” Riker mumbled to Troi before stepping in hearing range of Veronica. “You’re welcome to take Data, Commander McCoy.”

“I don’t know if we should split up, Will.” Troi grabbed his arm.

“I have no objection to accompanying Commander McCoy.” Data offered kindly, approaching the two upon hearing his name.

“You’d be the only one.” Riker adjusted his uniform before motioning to McCoy, who was about ten paces away from them at this point. “Meet us back here at o’ seven hundred hours.”

“Come on, Data.” Veronica tried her best to ignore the offhand comments, but they stung nonetheless. Although she so often portrayed stoicism in her demeanour, there were only so many insults she could take at once before her self-esteem began to chip away.

Data quietly watched his tricorder in attempt to locate a possible cave or odd mechanical signature, matching Veronica’s quickening pace. She wanted to leave the planet so badly; it didn’t have to take Troi’s empathic abilities for someone to sense that there was something… off about the planet.

“Commander.” Data placed a firm hand on her shoulder in order to stop her strides. “I have lost a possible signature.”

“Where was it? I didn’t see anything on my tricorder.” Veronica shook the device, silently cursing how she had an outdated model. If only Starfleet put as much investment into its smaller technologies as it did with its larger.

“On-screen appearances occur at a fading interval of zero point six seconds.” Data frowned, momentarily glancing at her own tricorder. “You would not be able to see it.”

“Well, if you can, then you lead.” She pushed him in front of her, but Data only bounced forward a few steps before falling still again.

“One moment. The signal has reappeared.” Data’s frown intensified as he paused to comprehend his screen. “However, in a different location.”

“Could it be… moving?” Veronica instinctively reached for her phaser, before noticing Data’s tricorder had fell upside down upon her push. “Your screen is upside down.”

She exhaled in irritation as Data looked over to her in bewilderment… before he realized she was, in fact, correct.

“I do not understand.” Data rectified the mistake and immediately began to walk in the direction of, what he determined to be, the generator. Veronica felt oddly uneasy; questioning how Data wouldn’t notice that his tricorder was in an unreadable position. Data was far sharper and smarter than her, how could such an obvious thing evade him? Nonetheless, upon the continued journey, the dense tropical foliage soon gave way to an eerily flat land

“Data, are there any life forms?” Veronica broke the deafening silence in an uncomfortable spurt of words. Data paused for a moment as he changed the scan orientation.

“There are ten in total on the planet Omega.” He switched back to his generator-scan reading, having no trouble exposing himself to the vast and ambiguous space in front of the two. “I believe we are approaching the generator.”

And surprisingly, about forty metres away, was a large piece of complicated technology. The green pulsating ribbons alternated to purple every few seconds to insinuate that it was an energy generator; just the one they were looking for.

“Nice job, Data.” Veronica mumbled as she continued to follow the android. Upon nearing the apparatus, an increasingly eerie vibe caused the pit in her stomach to deepen; perhaps it was the insane size of a man-made object in contrast with empty landscape. Or perhaps someone was watching them.

“Commander McCoy, I will remove the composite panelling for you.” Data stepped forward without hesitation, easily prying metal away to reveal complex circuitry. She could not have done that on her own.

“It’s wrecked.” Veronica huffed, “It’s a wonder the fluids are even reacting within the core.”

Data gazed at the generator, crouching down before it to assess the damage done. Veronica stepped around him to shut it down before he touched any wires, but as she did, a huge spark blew the main fuse.

“Shit.” She stepped away, glancing over to make sure Data hadn’t been hit with a surge. He stood up quickly and backed away, running the tricorder near where the spark fell.

“I do not believe-“

But as soon as he began to speak, a bright flash blinded Veronica. A wave of hot, searing pain with an almost electric grip hit her entire body, and in an instant siphoning of consciousness, she crumpled to the ground in an unnatural heap.

Her whole body was bleeding profusely. Her previously yellow uniform was unrecognizable as the thick crimson jelly seeped through the fabric to indicate lethal injury. But her hands suffered the worst fate; her palms were beyond recognition as the wet, bloody skin slid off in melted layers. The musculature of the back of her hands had stiffened from the cauterizing blast, grotesquely revealing the charred grey that was her bones.

“Data to the Enterprise.” The android tapped his commbadge without hesitation, following procedure upon injury to a fellow officer. “Two to beam up. Directly to Sickbay.”

* * *

“Her hands are severely burned.” Dr. Crusher pursed her lips. “I was able to reverse the burns on her body, thankfully, but her hands currently have extremely poor circulation.”

“And?” Captain Picard stood over the reclined officer in apprehension.

“Without circulation, the dermal regenerator won’t work as effectively.” Dr. Crusher sighed in forceful exasperation. “I can give her a stimulant but…”

“Anything you can do, do it.” The Captain stared at the life-signs monitor, his hands flexing on the edge of the Sickbay cot.

“Sir, Commander Riker and Counsellor Troi are still on Omega.” Data stepped in behind him, his tone more observational than anything.

“I can go back…” Veronica shifted on the bed, the healing pain aching through her whole body. Picard inhaled to speak, but paused in a lack of words.

“She’s delusional, and can’t hear you anyway.” Dr. Crusher nudged him aside to administer the stimulant directly into the Commander’s neck. “Unfortunately, this won’t help her current state of mind, but it’s all we can do.”

“Am I dying?” Veronica mumbled incoherently, a grimace of pain etched into her face. Picard and Crusher looked at each other gravely before saying “No” in unison.

“Commander.” Picard turned to Data. “Return to Omega.”

“Yes, sir.” Data promptly left the room without question. Crusher and the Captain exchanged a couple words before ushering him out altogether, claiming that Veronica needed some peace and quiet.

Hours passed, and finally the stimulant began to take effect. Crusher re-administered the regenerator's healing scan over the Commander’s hands, breathing a sigh of relief when the burns began to fade in encouraged healing.

“Commander McCoy, you have a visitor.” Crusher soothed, running her hand down Veronica’s arm in a kind bedside manner. “Are you awake?”

Veronica finally opened her eyes despite the painful light of the room. She was not sure she had heard the Doctor correctly.

“A visitor?”

Crusher smiled and stepped aside, making her way over to the life-signs monitoring station; upon doing so, another figure took her place.

“You’ve looked better.”

Veronica squirmed, closing her eyes in protest of her ‘visitor’.

“What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to see if you'd ceased to exist.” None other than Lore leaned against the side of the cot with a sarcastic grin, his hands boldly spread across the edge of the mattress.

“I don’t even know you, but thanks.” Although Veronica was still in severe pain, her bitter nature had not dissipated whatsoever.

“She’s still delirious, I wouldn’t try talking to her extensively.” Crusher turned her cheek towards the two, slightly irritated that someone was causing her patient obvious distress.

“Of course not, Doctor.” Lore smiled politely. He waited for her to turn back around before leaning down further to examine the extent of Veronica’s injuries. He noticed that her hands were the only part of her body that were visibly still damaged; in morbid curiosity he dragged a fingertip down the length of her thumb. He wanted to see how much pain he could deal without eliciting a cry.

“Don’t touch me.” Veronica snapped, albeit weakly.

Lore quickly glanced over at Crusher to make sure she hadn’t heard the outcry before sliding over to speak more privately.

“When will you be ready to resume your work?”

“Does it look like I know? Get lost.”

“You’ve been nothing but rude since my reactivation.” Lore’s oddly twisted smile inconspicuously betrayed that he enjoyed the abuse. “You should be grateful I haven’t returned the affections.”

Veronica kept her mouth shut, unwilling to indulge android’s bizarre need for conversation. It was definitely about the warp drive upgrade, she decided. Did he really think the drive could be upgraded to whatever extent he was talking about? Did he really think she would do it? The thoughts overwhelmed her so much that she had to turn her head away from him.

“I see.” Lore pulled back in haste. “I’ll leave your fragile body to rest.”

“Lore, shouldn’t you be with the crew?” Crusher had brought a syringe with a sedative compound to inject into Veronica.

“I was admittedly worried about the Commander.” Lore charmed with such sincerity, turning his body in the direction of Sickbay's exit.

“That's very sweet.” Crusher admired the sign of humility in the android before turning to Veronica’s arm.

“I do hope the psychological lacerations heal just as easily.” Lore let the flow roll off of his tongue with vitriol. Without another word, he was out of the room.

“I hate that thing.” Veronica muttered deliriously, her eyelids weighing heavy amidst the insane number of conflicting drugs pumped into her body.

Crusher smiled somewhat uncomfortably before advising her to sleep. Judging by the rate of healing, Veronica would indeed be getting well soon. But the question remained up in the air whether she would be suitable for duty anytime soon.


	3. Unsolicited Therapy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Commander McCoy believes there is an underlying reason for Lore's despicable behaviour. He does not agree.

Fearing the inevitable, Veronica had been temporarily relieved of duty. Primarily based on her injuries and the fact they remained more psychological than physical.

After many useless counselling attempts by Deanna Troi, Veronica had fallen deeper into a pit of self-loathing and general contempt for others. The burns on her hands had taken away her precision; an ability that was much needed in her specialty regarding systems reconfiguration. Make no mistake, she could still perform such tasks with a degree of necessary precision, but the only factor that had set her apart from other engineers had been ripped away from her that day on Omega. Bitter, hostile rage had wholly consumed her more than ever before, she wanted to physically inflict harm unto someone so they would know her pain.

Apologies by others were on nothing but a subliminal level; more pitiful than sympathetic; no one had truly gotten along with her anyway thus she should not have expected any expression of sorrow.

“Commander McCoy, can you come down to Engineering?” Geordi’s voice interrupted her antipathetic and brooding thoughts. She considered telling him to ‘fuck off’ or ‘do it yourself’, but something possessed her to confirm his request and leave her room for the first time in weeks. Why was she still wearing her uniform? Probably some vain belief that she would be reinstated sometime soon.

The doors to Engineering revealed an empty room, albeit for Geordi and Lore. The two were surrounding the main console, the former scratching his head in confusion and resignation at the screen’s contents.

“What?” Veronica grumbled in utter lack of consideration; sharp jealousy that Commander La Forge was able to continue his duties and not her. Completely ignoring the fact that the android Lore was in her presence. He’d done nothing but harass her over the warp engine the past month.

“I’m really sorry to bother you, I know you’re resting and all…” Geordi laughed sheepishly, his raised hand falling atop the console.

“I don’t care, why do you need me?” Veronica stood a certain distance away from the two. Lore was watching her with a rather sadistic curiosity; he had heard rumours of her supposed injury, but did not know that she had been ejected from duty.

“Oh, okay.” Geordi pulled back his lips in a wince. “Well, we’ve run into a small problem.”

“Apparently you’re the only expert in coil configuration around here.” Lore sneered, a strange desire for his words to have a stark impact upon her. They did not.

“Is the secondary fuse busted again?” She instinctively walked towards the drive’s engine before stopping mid-stride. She was now situated directly beside Lore, who had turned his head to watch her with such intensity.

“It is, along with the primary and tertiary.” Geordi was utterly dumbfounded. “We have safeguards to protect against this sort of failure, I don’t understand it.”

“If you don’t understand it, then neither will I.” Veronica exhaled sharply in exasperation upon being disturbed for something beyond her remedy.

“We need you in Engineering. I’m the only other Lieutenant Commander around here, Veronica.” Geordi suddenly looked very small and tired; his lack of sleep evident in his trembling hands. Lore waited patiently by the console, concealing his intense irritation for the screw-ups and incompetence; if he could do it himself, he would. But of course, he did not have the clearance.

“Maybe your nanotechnology research is taking up too much space and energy on the mainframe.” Veronica reluctantly crossed her arms, she knew how much the project meant to La Forge. “We could store it in the archival subfiles until we get this sorted out.”

“I didn’t want to have to do that.” Geordi inhaled through clenched teeth. “We’d risk losing all of the test’s empirical data.”

“Then we have to physically reroute power from Engineering consoles to the master fuse.” Veronica was growing more tired by the minute. She suddenly didn’t care about Geordi’s project or the Enterprise’s engine, she just wanted to lie on her bed in an emotionless state of forlorn.

She carelessly motioned Lore to step aside, and when he remained still, she actually pushed him out of the way.

“Hey, Veronica.” Geordi frowned, not happy about the assault on their innocuous guest.

“I’m used to… things of the sort.” Lore’s ventilation caught in his chest out of sheer perversion in seeing her so rough and callous. He wanted to return the favour, take her by the throat and slam her head against the console-

“Lore, are you alright?” Geordi frowned as Veronica seemed to be hot-wiring two blue and red wires together.

“Of course.” Lore looked at the engineer so as to insinuate _he_ was the crazy one, and not himself. Geordi turned to the console and let out a huge sigh of exasperation before tapping Veronica on the back.

“You just cut the screen out.”

Veronica flung the wires against the console’s wall and stood up in a startling motion, opening her mouth to, most likely, shout some hurtful words.

“I’ll wake up some of the Lieutenants.” Geordi cowered slightly before tapping his commbadge. A brief flash of guilt passed through Veronica, but was soon replaced with her ever-present numbness. She spun on her heels and left the room without another word; but she did not notice that the doors had taken longer than usual to close.

Her room was on the same deck as Engineering, most likely for a good reason, thus she only had to walk through a few corridors.

Lore had followed her out to pursue his sick curiosity, hiding behind each turn of wall as she passed through. Although she did not expect anyone was following her, Lore did not want to be caught acting threateningly towards a member in the crew. His mission had to be successful.

As she activated her doors with her unique signature, she stepped through in a trance-like state of self-absorption. Just as the doors were about to close, Lore rushed to jam his foot between them; the foreign object caused them to bounce back open.

“Running away from our problems, are we?” He tried to plaster a friendly smile on his face, keeping his tone light and jovial.

“What the fuck-“ Veronica spun around in startled lack of composure. “Get out of here!”

“Oh, you don’t mean that.” Lore maintained the facsimile kindness as he allowed the doors to close behind him. “It’s a little dark in here. Or is everything around you a reflection of your self-pity?”

“Why are you still here?” Veronica did not hesitate to put her hands on the android and attempt to push him out to where he came from. Lore did not budge, but his eyes dropped to her hands in odd fascination by her touch. In a swift motion, he flung his arm back and used the momentum to instead enclose his hands over hers. He squeezed as hard as he could, her weak bones crunching under his impossible grip.

“Fuck, that hurts.” Veronica grimaced. His hands were akin to that of the electric current that had held her on Omega: cold and ruthless. 

“Don’t like it?”Lore utilized his superior strength to tighten his hold on her even further. The hydraulics underneath his bioplast skin were visibly pumping upon its sheering tension.

“Just let go.” Veronica stopped herself short of pleading, but her tone was certainly venturing into that territory. She did not know that Lore could be like this, she thought he was exactly like Data in terms of his ethical programming and desire to please people. Watching his beyond-iron grip crushing her hands together was sickening. Their circulation had now begun to slow, her blood draining away from her extremities to give way to a pins and needles sensation.

“You’ve ruined the interface.” Lore violently threw her hands downwards, revelling in how she slowly flexed them against each other in excruciating pain. “I wouldn’t put it past someone like you to sabotage the whole system, all out of spite.”

“Now that I know you want it to operate, I _will_ sabotage it. Thanks for the idea, you sick fuck.” Veronica brought her hands together to wring the pain away, certain he had broken something.

Lore stared at her in crazed frustration; despite the inflicted injuries, she still would not _shut up_. He advanced even closer, taking advantage of her pained disorientation by placing his hands on her shoulders. Veronica was trying to process too much at once, hence her fight-or-flight response lagged in its anticipation; it was too late before she realized what was happening. He dug his fingers under her collarbone just hard enough to make her eyes water; a force so strong, it felt as if he was ripping the bone out from her skin. He laughed in her face before pushing her with more force than even he’d anticipated. She stumbled backwards directly into the adjacent wall, her knees buckling underneath her from the sheer momentum of his push. 

Lore felt a new and unwavering need to break her defiance, the tunnel vision in doing so was unbearable. She maintained intense eye contact the whole time so as not to show any sign of fear, but fear was the only thing that would make him stop at this point. He strolled over to her nonchalantly, kicking her legs aside with his right foot to stand over her.

“I hope you’ve learned who runs this show.”

Veronica brought her aching, frozen hand up to the side of her head. It was bleeding, somehow… but not as much as it felt like. What a joke, she had just almost lost her life in a generator blast, and now she had some psychotic android trying to bully her into following his plans. Plans he hadn’t even properly outlined.

Veronica tapped her commbadge, opening her dry mouth to request a Security team to her quarters. But she was too slow.

“Ah, ah. I don’t think so.” Lore reached down and picked her up ruthlessly by a handful of her loose hair. Taking the commbadge between his fingers, he ripped it off her uniform and tossed it out of reach. He brought her right up to his face, his breath hot on her cheek:

“Play fair, now.” he hissed through clenched teeth.

Lore took great satisfaction from seeing her small and injured; but a part of him regretted what he was doing. He couldn’t understand this ‘part’ or process, let alone why it was happening. He dismissed the scrap of compassion as a signal he was shooting himself in the foot when it came to his mission, not giving it another thought. Veronica allowed herself to go slack in his grip, but the defiant fire still burned bright in her McCoy-blue eyes.

“I haven’t been able to run a systems scan.” Lore’s smile was lopsided and poor in concealing the pleasure he’d derived from his violence. “There is a reason for my actions, I’m sure.”

He let go of her in a grandiose flair, gesturing her to step away from him. She couldn’t go to Sickbay, she couldn't risk doing something that might ultimately piss the android off.

“Y-you’re crazy.” Veronica’s words bubbled in her throat as a sob shook her entire diaphragm. “W-why are you b-bothering m-me?!” She tried to sound forceful, but her biology unfairly betrayed her.

“Oh, shut up.” Lore grinned, watching her as she sat down to stop the shaking. “I’m the villain? _You_ provoked me.”

Veronica let out a quiet, lamenting groan as she realized he wasn’t leaving. She’d escaped death once, yes, but she knew she’d be dying tonight.

“Your life would be a lot easier if you worked with me.” Lore narrowed his eyes, his hands tingling from the prior contact. “I know you’re the one messing up this sorry excuse for a ship's technology.”

“I’m not.” Veronica involuntarily gulped as her brain screamed at her to get up and run.

“Don’t start.” Lore turned, threatening to approach her once again. She kept her glare as strong as she could, but wondered if appearing weak would change him in any way.

“From what I’ve seen, the whole crew despises you.” Lore continued. “No one would miss you.”

“Take what y-you just said and apply it to yourself.” Veronica stuttered.

“Thank you for _elucidating_ exactly what I said.” His smile drew his features upward in sinister expression. “We’re not so dissimilar.”

Veronica made an exaggerated gagging emotion to show her wordless distaste for his comments.

“Accept you’re an outcast. Give into it.” Lore stood with his hands clenching in reverence for his own words.

“I’m reporting you as soon as I get out of here.”

“Then I’ll never let you leave.” Lore stepped just a few inches from her sitting form, pushing her hair behind her shoulders so delicately.

She decided to take another approach, as much as it revolted her:

“People think I’m a bitch because of… things that’ve happened to me in the past.” She tried her best not to recoil from his touch, but she couldn’t stop herself from noticing that he… smelled good. “I think the same has happened to you. You should be exactly like Data, in reality.”

“I’m glad that’s not the case.” His gaze flickered over to the cushion beside her, his smile widening upon perceiving her new interest in him. “Instead of analyzing me, how about we examine your obvious self-loathing?”

"I fucking hate myself, what more do you want?" Veronica felt her voice rising, almost becoming shrill as she was finally able to confide in someone over her darkest secret. Although, was it really a secret if she displayed it so openly?

Lore made a strange grunting sound. It was as if hearing her speak with so much hatred and vitriol... turned him on.

“I can see you have some sort of capacity to be kind and gentle.” She did not break her stare, her heart racing in her chest enough to make her want to vomit. “But you seem to enjoy your despicable side a lot better.”

“Do tell; what are these hidden ‘kind and gentle’ attributes you speak of?” Lore snarked motioning to the injuries he had just inflicted upon her. “You must _really_ enjoy abuse.”

“I don't give a shit either way. I'm telling you so-"

“And I like dealing it out.” Lore leaned down a little further, ignoring her previous comment. His artificial breath was hot on her face so as to intimidate her. “I think we’d make the perfect pair.”

“You know, if you weren’t so messed up and pushy, maybe I would consider you.” Veronica lied through her teeth (or did she?); suppressing her grimace upon his words. “If you were anything like Data-“

“Data was the first, less perfect model created by good ol’ Doctor Soong.” He flashed his smile, still unmoving from his looming stance. “I’m superior to your little friend, didn’t you know?”

“I haven’t seen any of it. You’re as superior as a sliced foil wire.”

“Take the use of contractions-“

“Who _cares_.” Veronica leaned forward to enunciate the words sharply in his face.

“I wasn’t finished.” Lore brought a flat, open palm across her already-red cheek. She reflexively covered the area with her hand, working her jaw upon the sudden impact. “Data is limited. I, however, am _perfect_.” The narcissism dripped off of his tongue with such viscosity that it only proved his insanity.

“Then tell me, oh perfect android: why are you such a failure?”

“I would hit you again, but you seem to feed off of it.” Lore flexed his hands at his sides, watching the Commander with a mixture of disdain and… curiosity. “I’ll find a way to make you break, don't you worry.”

“You’re broken, desperate and deranged.” Veronica’s cheek still stung from the, essentially, composite hand that had struck her. “I refuse to believe you were created that way. Something happened to you.”

“Oh, you’re my counsellor now?” Lore took her chin in his hands in an inarguably violent motion. “You talk too much. Perhaps you should redirect that energy into your work, you lazy, worthless-.”

“Go on, you fuck.” Veronica grabbed his arm and pulled him into her as she leaned back against the couch. He fell forward in surprise, his body colliding with hers in a rough and uncomfortable force.

This caught Lore off guard. After a pause to comprehend what had just happened, a dark perversion for power caused his main processors to incorrectly reroute to arousal. His body had fallen flat against hers in an arguably intimate contact, but it did not last long as he took all but a second to recollect himself. He had languorously repositioned his upper body to lean over her, his knee painfully pushing in between her inner thighs to inflict severe bruising. He took her face in his hands, so gently, all before ruthlessly digging his duranium fingernails into the flesh of her cheeks; watching her expressions with morbid fascination. His ventilating breathing program grew loud as he watched her squirm underneath him, his feeds plagued with the need for superiority. 

"I knew this was all you wanted." Lore looked down at Veronica with his eyes half-closed, his tone salaciously mocking before stopping to wrap his composite hands around her neck. "Pitiful."

“Thanks for p-proving my point.” Veronica was shaking like a leaf and found it hard to keep her cool, despite her feigned confident words. She didn’t think he was going to lose his footing and fall into her; hence the split-second attempt to regain control of a horrifying, losing situation.  
Lore suddenly pulled away, confused. He did not like the idea of playing right into someone’s little trap- or so he thought, hence his recoil. He planted his right foot back on the floor before following with his left, wanting to kill her right then and there for making a fool out of him. But something possessed him to instead walk to the front doors before she could say anything else.

“You better be in Engineering at twenty-one hundred hours.” Lore said with zero emotion or expression, his body rigid. He felt so indignant that he had allowed himself to be an object of her entertainment in that brief moment.

Once the doors closed, her heart did not cease to pound, her chest was clenched so much so to produce hard and erratic breathing.

She truly _did_ hate him down to his very core; wanting nothing to do with the abominable creation whatsoever. Yet simultaneously, in ironic poeticism, did she try to deny a new and visceral desire for him. Although his attention had been nothing but negative, Lore had been the only _thing_ to show even benign interest in her aboard the Enterprise. He made her _feel_ something, _want_ something; he provided a challenge that she had not seen since her inauguration into Starfleet. 

However, much like all powerful contrasting emotions, Veronica had trouble discerning between her newfound infatuation and her ever-present loathing for the Soong-type android. In resignation, she coalesced the two feelings into a reduction of pure abhorrence and refused to think of him any further.

Never would she let him hold any power over her.


	4. Sensitive Subjects Part I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> McCoy decides to go to Sickbay for her injury.

Veronica sat in Sickbay; according to Doctor Crusher, her left hand had been broken and her right hand was slightly fractured.

“How did this happen!?”

Veronica stared at the floor, her face contorted into a grimace. How would she tell the Doctor that the charismatic, loved-by-all android had inflicted such damage unto her?

“I don’t want to talk about it.“ Veronica snapped unhelpfully, changing her mind at the last second. “I came here to receive care, not be interrogated.”  
Her hands were outstretched so Beverly could administer pain medication directly to the site.

“Veronica.” Crusher looked up. Her bedside manner was gentle and encouraging, but her perception of the Commander was that of intense distaste.

“Fine, if you really want to know, then Lore-“

Her luck must have been astronomically non-existent, because just as she uttered his name, the tall, slender android stepped into the sterile room.

“That computer of yours is _very_ efficient.” Lore cooed, watching Veronica as he spoke, “It’s nice to be able to track where every member of the ship is at all times.”

Dr. Crusher only looked over and smiled before returning her attention back to her patient.

Veronica’s heart sank as Lore made his way to the bed she was sitting atop of. Others in the bay were sleeping, not taking notice of the new visitor.

“You said something about Lore?” Doctor Crusher’s expectant gaze did not leave her; still awaiting her response with mild urgency.

“No, I didn’t.” Veronica tried her best to sound dismissive; but in reality she really was not looking forward to additional injuries inflicted by him.

“Lore, were you in Veronica’s quarters?” Crusher turned. The question would have been taken as mere wondrous inquisition if not for Lore’s ‘guilty conscience’… not that he was guilty of his actions, of course; it was more out of a concern for getting caught.

“Would that be a crime?” Lore started cautiously, his confidence not waning. “The Commander had called me saying that her medical intervention had begun to reverse.”

“That’s not possible…” Doctor Crusher scrunched her face in disbelief.

“Like I’d tell you if I was injured.” Veronica scoffed, but refused to say anything further.

“Oh, but Doctor, it is.” Lore’s smile was almost maniacal as he rested his hand against the edge of Veronica’s bed. “As you can see.”

Doctor Crusher frowned in suspicion. Her eyes darting to the side so as to determine what she should do.

“Doctor.” Lore leaned forward, his legs brushing against Veronica’s as his tone remained incredulous. “Do you really think I did this?”

“Hello?” Veronica pushed her head forward in disbelief. “I’m in pain here. Can I get some medical attention before this inquisition?”

“Now, now.” Lore turned to her, his gaze somewhat appreciative that she wasn’t snitching on him. “Don’t strain yourself.”

Beverly seemed as if she did not want to offend the android: “Of course you didn’t do this, I’m just trying to figure out what happened.”

Lore laughed as if what she had just said was cute. He reached out his hand without hesitation and placed it on top of hers.

“Don’t touch me, you’re not the doctor.” Veronica pulled back; but the abrupt motion caused a shooting wave of pain to course through her arm. Lore smugly watched her try to hide the excruciating sensation.

Beverly frowned in suspicion.

“She’s in pain.” Lore tried to turn to the Doctor convincingly. “Of course she’ll lash out on the person that’s closest to her.”

“Oh my God, this is stupid.” Veronica snapped with intense vitriol. “I just met you a few weeks ago; that’d be pretty sad if you were the only THING closest to me.”

Lore’s jaw slackened slightly as he watched her in sick awe. She drew her leg backwards to gather as much force as she could; Doctor Crusher tried to intervene once foretelling violence, but was too late as Veronica connected with the android’s solid knee. Of course, her assault yielded no effect; rather, she had only injured herself.

“What was that about?” Lore looked down at her foot, before looking up at her with a kind smile.

“I don’t think you two should be together.” Doctor Crusher definitely sensed something was off, thus she ordered Lore out of Sickbay. He reluctantly backed away, his lips pursed in his lack of control in the situation. He was still worried Veronica would expose him, even if she had shown no indication of such.

“You’re telling me Lore did this to you?” Doctor Crusher waited until he was out of the room before pressing the issue.

“No. I never said that.” Veronica shook her hands so that Crusher would continue with the process, although there was a growing pit in her stomach. The reasons why she was protecting this vile being went beyond her comprehension.

“He has ethical programming like Data.” Doctor Crusher stared at McCoy’s hands. “I think he may have been right about medical reversal, your injuries were _very_ severe after all.”

“Okay, so then fix them.”

She just wanted to get out of there. Upon the mention of her previous injuries, very subtle memories began to leak into her stream of consciousness. The sound of the blast, the weird and excruciating pain, the sight of her hands in a state beyond recognition all intrusively replayed in her mind.

Veronica stood to her feet, now able to slightly wiggle her fingers.

“I need to go back to my room.”

“You certainly don’t.” Crusher tried to push her back towards the bed, but Veronica resisted.

“I’m serious.” She shook her head. “I feel like I’m going to throw up.”

“I have medication for nausea-“

“No!” She screamed. But judging by the Doctor’s new expression of shock, she realized she had crossed the line. “I just want to be alone.”

Crusher sighed deeply as she weighed the options. Veronica’s hands were already on the mend, thankfully, but her ability to perform daily tasks would still be restricted. She’d very much rather have the Commander in Sickbay under her watch than let her free.

“Will you submit to an on-call visit later tonight?” Beverly placed her hand gently on Veronica’s shoulder. The latter shrugged her shoulders and turned; but Beverly still felt apprehensive letting her go, thus she called out once more:

“I know you struggle with…” Doctor Crusher trailed off, deciding it best not to list her various diagnoses. “But if you’d like therapy, Counsellor Troi is always available. We can work together to prescribe you some proper medication.”

“I don’t need therapy _or_ medication.” Veronica tilted her chin upwards in indestructible pride; pride that would be her downfall. She did not have a good track record with psychiatrists.

Her father, as a medical doctor, had prescribed many anti-depressants and pharmaceuticals to help her variety of mental illnesses over the years, but these prescriptions were unbearably high and plentiful. When her mother had died, dosages were at their all time highest; and after a few months of such, Veronica had promised herself she would never fraternize with medication ever again. Why would she need a few chemical compounds to feel perpetually numb? Her synapses already did that for her.

“I still recommend it.” Doctor Crusher held firm, but was not responded to as Veronica had hurried to leave the room.

As she walked down the hall, she realized she had not thought of her parents in a long time. She had only spoken to Leonard McCoy twice since her inauguration into Starfleet; she did not know how he was doing at all. Her mother had passed away only a few years before… a variant of the cell mutation and lack of apoptosis that was obscure cancer; a terminal illness that could not even be solved by modern twenty-fourth century medicine. She resented her father for not trying harder to save her, as ridiculous the thought was.

As she walked with her head down, deep in thought, she failed to notice that something was blocking her path.

“Veronica.”

She looked up, her eyes watering from the involuntary recollection of painful memories. As if the day couldn’t get any worse, Lore was standing in front of her.

He had definitely waited for her outside the room.

“Are you…” Lore peered down at her in disgust. “Are those _tears_?”

“Argh!” She brought her sleeve up to her face and wiped her eyes in a swift motion; ignoring the searing pain in her hand upon the contact. “My hands just hurt.”

“I didn’t think you were so weak.” Lore's expression was so smug as watched her hands with a certain fascination. “But, I also don't think I've ever seen you _not_ angry."

For some reason, she still felt compelled to cry. Her upper lip curved upward and her lower lip trembled, all as she avoided eye contact with the looming android. This was the worst time for him to be around; the last thing she wanted to show was any sort of weakness. He gazed down at her expectantly, but she did not know what kind of facial expression was plastered on his face this time.

“I knew you were just putting on an act.” He simply observed, interrupting her thoughts. “Did you really think you could fool me?”

“Anything could fool you.” Veronica bit her lip and looked up at the ceiling to stop her !stupid! emotions from getting the best of her. “I don’t want anything to do with you.”

After feeling nothing for so long, she had to admit that these onslaught of threatening tears were certainly strange. Lore did not say anything, but Veronica could just feel the sneer radiating from his very being.

“Would you like to talk about it?”

Veronica’s eyes almost instantaneously dried at the remark, looking up under her lashes in angry disbelief. His voice was oddly warm and kind; a stark difference from what she had previously seen from him. She could not bring herself to believe it.

“No.” She tilted her head up slightly, just to get a better look at his expression. “I wouldn’t even tell you what I had for dinner, let alone anything else about me.”

“You had nothing.” Lore smirked, placing his hand against the wall to block her from walking around him. “You _really_ should take better care of your nutritional requirements.”

Veronica clenched her teeth so as to prevent herself from screaming in irritation. “I have better things to do.”

“You’re always free to leave.” Lore gestured down the corridor in simple politeness.

Veronica didn’t hesitate to push past him, perhaps shouldering him too roughly upon her retreat.

“It’s too bad your mother didn’t teach you more compassion.” He called behind him smugly, surprised she had chose to end the interaction. He needed to regain control.

Veronica took a few more steps, but a visceral rage made it impossible to ignore his biting remark.

“What did you just say?” She turned her head ever so slightly.

“I said,” Lore turned around to face her. “Your mother should’ve taught you more compassion.”

Although a simple string of words, they were like a thousand knives right in the heart for McCoy; the android knew more about her than she thought.

“You don’t know anything about me.” Veronica’s vision was red and fixated; the itch to lash out at him grew even greater upon his relaxed and nonchalant posture.

“Clearly I do,” Lore wiggled his eyebrows ever so slightly in taunt. “Or else you would’ve just continued down that corridor.”

Veronica was, once again, having trouble controlling her breathing. Her anger was now dissipating into an extreme melancholy and despair. Just what Lore wanted.

“Would you like to talk now?” Lore crossed his arms casually, perceiving a more defeated aura.

“No.” Was all Veronica could say. Despite what he thought, she wasn’t almost-crying over _him_ or what he said; rather the intense feelings of guilt and regret that had wholly consumed her upon the memories of her mother’s death.

“I understand that it’s a sensitive subject.” Lore’s voice was impossibly soft and tender; it was almost creepy.

His sympathy was indeed fabricated, yet nonetheless, he had crafted the response in such a way that appeared unexpectedly genuine. He even surprised himself with his own believability; further reaffirming his out of control delusions of grandeur. For the most part, despite the eerie vibe, it looked as if he too had convinced Veronica of this farce that was feigned empathy.

“You wouldn’t understand.” Veronica still remained reserved, yet was slightly more open to conversation upon his new sensitivity.

“Then enlighten me.” Lore took the opportunity to step a little closer; still, there was a considerable distance between the two.

Veronica opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted as a member of the crew appeared in the corridor to pass by the two. Both Lore and Veronica stood still as if they’d been caught committing a crime; Lore’s ventilating system ceasing under this oddly intense situation. He quickly reduced the sensation to the possibility of his plan being ruined, but reminded himself to look into it again later.

“I’d rather not.” Veronica finally spoke once the Ensign had left the corridor, changing her mind at the last moment as to whether she should indulge Lore. Rejoicing in leaving him wondering more and leaving his knowledge unfulfilled, she turned around and proceeded out of his view.

Lore set his jaw in pure agitation, he had been so close. He didn’t bother going after her, no, he would not give her the satisfaction this time. His central matrix couldn’t help but fixate on the fact that, if it wasn’t for that useless, oblivious crewman that had marred the halls with their presence, Lore would’ve had considerable material to use against the Commander in the future.

He set out to find whoever that individual was that had interrupted their conversation. He began to think about how his kind demeanour had produced more of an open response from Veronica; perhaps he would ask her to join him later that night. 

It wouldn’t be very hard to put on a show for her, after all, he was doing it with the rest of the ship. What made _Veronica McCoy_ any different?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>   
> Super sorry that this is questionably written, I always go back and edit my chapters months later... but I'm trying to stop that habit.  
> *** I also wanted to give a heads up on WARNINGS since the past four chapters have been ~relatively~ tame in material.  
> After this chapter and onward, please just assume that all tags in my description may apply. If you're uncomfortable with anything listed, then I discourage you from reading any further just for your wellbeing!  
> I know I probably sound dramatic, but things will definitely be getting much worse and more descriptive (as I'm seeing as I write Part II) I don't want anyone being triggered over something that could've been avoided! <3  
> Stay safe, everyone! Thank you if you're reading :)))


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